Test Time!

This week’s Torah portion tells us that, “G-d is testing you to know…” In Hebrew, the word for “testing” also means “elevating.” Thus, this verse may be interpreted to mean that G-d tests us in order to elevate us to a higher level of consciousness.

A test – whether a test of one’s faith, discipline, boundaries, or general mood – is a temporary concealment of the Divine favor that we assume should be shown to good people who strive to follow G-d’s will. Voices from both within and without mock the sufferer’s naive belief. However, the fact that G-d’s presence is hidden in these situations simply indicates that He wishes to grace us with a closer, more intense relationship than we are presently able to sustain. In order to preserve our faith in G-d in the face of situations that test this faith, we have to draw upon deeper levels of commitment than we normally do, in order to overcome the challenge.

When we overcome the challenge and get past the test by learning and growing stronger from it, the test itself disappears because its purpose has been served. A deeper Divine consciousness and more profound relationship, that which was previously hidden, emerges and becomes the new norm.



Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!

Candle lighting time in NYC: Friday, 7:41 PM